So D'Antoni got the job as the Lakers' 23rd coach - instead of it being the 19th coach back yet again - and he showed off his vision, charm and self-assurance Thursday in an opening news conference that proclaimed Dwight Howard would be "unstoppable," the defense would be "a bear," the bench would actually help and the Lakers should score 110-115 points per game.

That good enough to sell you on him, Lakers fans?

"And that's why we hired Mike D'Antoni," said Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who sat next to D'Antoni as he again sailed through plans - this time for media consumption - to play to the existing players' strengths in a carefree, empowering manner.

"Get everybody on the same page: This is how we're going to win a championship," D'Antoni said.

D'Antoni, 61, went through his first Lakers practice Thursday on two crutches after recent surgery to replace his right knee. D'Antoni's older brother, Dan, for now the only assistant coach Mike is adding to the Lakers' staff, ran most of the practice that included Kobe Bryant jumping back into full drills despite a tender foot.

D'Antoni came to the news conference after practice using just one crutch and promising he could get around fine without that, too. He expects to observe the Lakers' game Friday night vs. his former team, the Phoenix Suns, and be in place for Sunday night against Houston.

D'Antoni cautioned not to expect perfection right away, saying the drills the Lakers did Thursday are the sort he normally would be using the first day of training camp. He allowed that Howard is only 75 to 80 percent after offseason back surgery, and Nash is at least a week away from playing because of a small leg fracture.

However, caution more often was blown all the way back to D'Antoni's troubled last NBA stop of New York as he explained the broader strokes of how the Lakers are "going to play my vision." The whirlwind of excitement as he spoke inside the Lakers practice gym about activating a team coming off a 97.3-point average under Mike Brown last season was undeniable.

"There's no reason why we don't offensively go off the charts," D'Antoni said.

Despite how simple D'Antoni made things sound, Kupchak said later that "there is a lot of structure" to how D'Antoni makes things work. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich calls D'Antoni a master of offensive spacing, and D'Antoni said Thursday it's not necessarily about the speed of the attack, it's about the rhythm.

He repeatedly deferred the responsibility of establishing and maintaining that rhythm to Nash, and when asked about Nash being 38, D'Antoni harked back to those NBA MVP years in Phoenix and said the things that made Nash great then are things he still has now.

Related Links

"There's no reason why we don't offensively go off the charts," new Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said at his introductory press conference Thursday. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
New Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni answers questions from the media during a Thursday afternoon press conference at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
With Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak sitting by his side, new Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni, right, answers questions during a Thursday afternoon press conference at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Surrounded by members of the media, Mike D'Antoni, right, takes questions after being introduced as the new Lakers head coach Thursday at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, left, listens as the Lakers new head coach Mike D'Antoni answers a question from the media during a Thursday afternoon press conference at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
New Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni, left, gets some help with his crutch from Lakers vice president of public relations John Black as he arrives for a Thursday afternoon press conference at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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